perfect muscular power and freedom to use it, refuse to use it, in loco-motion; should he place himself on a seat, with a purpose not to move; should he sit there to-day, and to-morrow, and until he dies; his power to move himself remaining in him to the last, and nothing hindering him from moving, but an invincible determination to the contrary; such a man, in respect to the power of self-loco-motion, is not what a helpless paralytic is, who lies passively on his couch, till death terminates his sufferings: there is to the very last a difference, nay, all the difference, between a suicide and one who dies in the course and by the irresistible necessity of nature. Equally radical is the difference in all conceivable, all possible circumstances, between a creature who has no rational faculties, and one who has them, but will not use them in obeying his Maker. And we cannot but approve of this way of preaching, in so far as it holds forth this difference in its full magnitude, and in all its legitimate results and bearings.

It is, in our judgment, yet further deserving of approbation. As man, according to its estimate of him, is in all circumstances a creature with a will; that is, as he never ceases to be a responsible man, it therefore makes him inexcusable for not meeting his responsibilities. It holds him to his obligations, and condemns him for violating them, simply because he is a man, a rational creature, capable of discharging them. Were nothing else true of him, all his delinquencies would be indefensible. It dwells, indeed, upon whatever aggravates his guilt; but it finds the basis of guilt back of all aggravating circumstances, in the mere fact, that he is a man,—a responsible being. If his circumstances have been favorable and encouraging, his demerit is thereby made greater; but irrespectively of all circumstances, all gracious aid, he is without excuse, on the ground, that he has the natural parts and attributes of a human creature, and knows, or might know, his duty. This we think right. It is scriptural: it is doing as the apostle has done, Rom. i. 20, where he pronounces the idolatrous Gentiles inexcusable, because the true God is clearly apprehensible by the human faculties, from the glorious workmanship of his hands. It perfectly agrees also with human consciousness, and the law written in the heart of man. Preaching, we are sure, which fails to do this, makes a prime mistake; begins in error, and if consistent with itself, will vitiate and pervert the entire gospel nothing being plainer than that-if men are bound to obey God, and inexcusable for disobedience, independently of their abuse of grace,-grace is no more grace; gospel no more gospel.

Thus far the preaching under consideration proceeds, as we think, justly, in its positions and enforcements respecting human ability. It is with regret, that we cannot concur with it perfectly.

It is painful to find any fault with what we cannot but consider the best of all the ways of preaching, in respect to this vital subject, that, as far as we know, have prevailed since the days of inspiration. In those days, controversy on this subject seems not to have arisen. Christ and his apostles enforced upon men the immediate discharge of moral obligation, without appearing embarrassed themselves with any theoretic difficulty concerning power, or appearing apprehensive, that any objection of that sort would be raised by their hearers. Their manner was as free and unguarded, as is that of a man, when urging his fellow-man to the performance of any civil or social duty. In after times, philosophy, which has left unperplexed no single fundamental truth in theology or morals, gave rise to noisy and fierce disputes about power and free-will. These disputes, unhappily, found their way into the pulpit, and made, as they are now making, strange confusion in the churches. The influence of philosophy on this point was so extensively injurious, that in no instance, before the time of Edwards, within the compass of our information, has the pulpit spoken on it in a clear and consistent manner. Edwards' celebrated treatise awakened intellect into new life; and the doctrine of that treatise, illustrated and enforced by Hopkins, Bellamy, Smalley, and others, pervaded the New-England ministry, and made, as we must think, the pulpit of this land inferior in purity and power, to none on the earth. Hence, under the divine blessing, the prevalence of revivals in America, with such unprecedented frequency, within the last half-century. We need not say, that we meant to designate the general strain of New-England preaching in relation to the subject of power, during this period, by the remarks which have just been submitted. May we now state, with great deference to names, that deserve to be held in perpetual remembrance, two particulars, wherein we do not deem this preaching not absolutely faultless?

It has been common, if not universal, for the orthodox pulpit of New-England, while insisting on man's natural ability, to announce it, as an absolute certainty, that he never will obey, without a sovereign intervention of special grace. This, unquestionably, was correct it was but to tell the truth, and truth of the highest importance. But what is the state of an attentive, convinced mind, under such instruction? convinced at the same time, that it has natural power, and that, left to itself, it is as certain as its own existence, that it never will exert that power. Let such a mind, then, suppose itself left to itself; having nothing on which its hopes can rest, but its own natural power. Would it not, under that impression, be without all reason for exerting its power? and could any one reasonably expect, that it would exert it? Yet we submit it for reflection, whether it has not been quite usual for the

grace.

pulpit to address men with the most pungent persuasives to selfexertion, in order to their salvation, on the exclusive ground of their having natural ability; and whether, if this be the fact, the pulpit has herein pursued the scriptural or the best course? Their having natural power, their being rational creatures, binds them indeed to be holy, and makes their unholiness forever inexcusable; and this great truth should be at the basis of all pulpitinstruction. And were the object simply to make men feel their obligation, and convict them of guilt for not discharging it, enough would be done, merely by maintaining, that men, notwithstanding the fall, still remain men, or retain all their rational faculties. But, as the main design of preaching is not to convict, but to convert and save men,—to bring them to repentance, and set them to exerting themselves, in the cheerful and diligent discharge of all the duties of piety and holiness; something more is indispensable, than shutting them up to their own natural power, as the sole ground of effort. That power, however complete, should not be relied upon by preachers, as a sufficient reason for action on the part of their hearers; while it is declared by the former, and believed, as it should be, by the latter, that it never was and never will be exerted efficiently, without a supernatural intervention of Whatever be the ground of this certainty, the influence of it upon the hearers, if accredited by them, must, if every thing be excluded from their thoughts but the fact that they possess natural power, produce despair, which is fatal to effort. Should any thing obviously out of all probability, not to say out of reason, be expected of mankind or by preachers of the saving grace of God? Will it now be said, that men have never been designedly thrown upon their mere natural power, to fulfill the requisitions of the pulpit? We should rejoice to think, that the fact is so; but if it be, we cannot forbear asking, what mean those bold demands for immediate repentance, from men, on the ground of their having natural power, which have been so common? Would it not be surprising, if any one should deny, that demands for repentance have been and are enforced, not at all by the consideration, that men may hope for the renewing grace of God, in exerting themselves, as they necessarily must in order to repent; but simply because they have natural power to repent, if they would? All mention of the divine mercy is not indeed omitted: forgiveness, it is declared, shall follow repentance; but as for repentance itself, that is the duty of the sinner, and to the performance of that duty he is urged, on the ground of his having natural power, by the tremendous sanction of eternal justice, but not encouraged, (unless we are much mistaken,) by fostering in him the hope, that, in earnestly exerting himself, in order to perform his duty, divine grace MAY secure a happy result. Exertions, in order to

come to repentance, are not, we suppose, generally approved. Nay, have they not been specifically condemned by those, for instance, who inhibit trying,* and must, even before trying, have the very thing itself? The duty must be done; the duty itself, in contra-distinction to pre-requisite effort, must be done this very second, and done just because it is duty, and can be done, if there is but a willing mind. The want of this willingness, the specific and sole difficulty in the case, is left as (which indeed it is) a most aggravated sin, under stern reprobation; without mention of any means or method to be used in overcoming it. Though it is not more certain, that God's word is true, than that this unwillingness will never cease, if renewing grace do not intervene; the sinner, instead of being encouraged to exert himself, in hope of that gracious intervention, is simply challenged to the performance of the duty, with a memento that he can perform it if he will, and must perform it, or perish. He is environed by warnings against one moment's delay, while the adamantine chain of despair is fixed upon him, (unless he secretly indulge hope on other ground,) by the announcement of the certainty above mentioned, and by his being at the same time shut up to his own mere natural power. This is his situation; and it has been represented as, in a certain view, a favorable one. It is favorable, many think, to the sinner's being at length brought to a surrender of himself to the divine disposal. The duty of repentance binding upon him; the discharge of that duty enforced by motives infinitely terrible; yet thrown upon bare natural power, and reminded, that he never will, of himself, use that power: what, it has been asked, is the tendency of a sense of these most serious facts? If the sinner feels that they are realities, will he not be apt, in something like a fit of self-desperation, to throw himself into the hands of God, as the only possible way of escaping infinite ruin? We do not deny that he will. Undoubtedly, many persons have, under these views and apprehensions, though not these alone, submitted themselves to the divine will. But it does not hence follow, that the best or even proper means, have been employed, on the part of preachers, to bring about that result. Let it not be overlooked, that the specific mediate influence which, under God's agency, induces submission in such cases, is exactly that which the preaching in question, at the juncture contemplated, omits to enforce, as a motive to submission. The sinner submits himself to the disposal of a good

"How," it has been often asked, "can one try to love, repent, etc? He must do the thing, not try to do it." What, we answer, is trying to do a thing, but making effort to do it? Can there be no mental exertion, in order to the production of a right moral state in the mind? The mind cannot will itself directly into such a state, but it can (see onward in the text.) exert itself in order to that result.

and merciful God, because he sees, that he is good and merciful, and that no other door of hope for his soul remains. What, now, if even that door were closed? The only influence which touches his natural power, and starts it into exercise, is taken away; and must he not either die in despair, or, reckless of consequences, abandon himself to his old life of sin? This influence, be it remembered, forms no part of that which is directly exerted upon him, by the preaching of which we speak. It does not encourage the sinner to effort, by the fact, that there is a renewing Spirit among mankind, and that therefore effort may not be unsuccessful, The sinner knows, indeed, that there is a renewing Spirit, and he is kept, by this knowledge, from despair, and induced by it, at length, under divine influence, to forsake a life of impenitence, and give his heart to God. But the preaching before us does not urge this grand consideration, as a ground of the present practicability of duty. It contents itself with promising him pardon and salvation, on the general condition of his repenting, in the use of his natural power. It does not encourage him to effort in fulfilling that condition, by the prospect, or even the possibility, of his being aided by the Spirit, in making the effort.

Herein, then, we would humbly express the opinion, that there is some room for improvement in what we suppose to have been the best mode of preaching, in reference to the present point, which has prevailed among us. It differs, we think, in this particular, from the scriptural mode. The scriptures give this mode full sanction, in so far as they condemn disobedience, simply because men have natural power to obey, and inculcate nothing short of immediate repentance, and make no allowance for delay; but the scriptures no where, to our understanding, urge men to exert natural power to repent, or perform any other duty, merely because they have that power. That they have it, is assumed in their being called upon to exert it; but they are called upon to exert it, not merely because they have it; since that consideration, of itself alone, leaves the sinner in despair, when it is absolutely certain, and known to be certain, that without the intervention of divine grace, it never has availed, and never will avail. The scriptures are ever more in earnest in their appeals and enforcements. They show no zeal where, humanly speaking, hope of success. would be preposterous. They plainly assure men, that, left to themselves, they would never change their sinful life; but they leave them no warrant to conclude, that they are left to themselves; and this is their all-comprehending ground of encouragement to exertion. They declare, that there is a renewing Spirit abroad, among men ; and they declare this, not as a cold, abstract truth, but as opening a door of hope to a depraved race; VOL. VII.

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